Campus Resorts

Developers looking for new areas of growth are turning to colleges, where students have acquired a taste for luxury amenities; studying in the sauna or by the pool

Dec. 6, 2012 8:03 p.m. ET

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The view of the lagoon-shaped pool and community at the Cottages of College Station near the Texas A&M campus in College Station, Texas. The two-story clubhouse's wood-shingle exterior resembles a Hamptons mansion.
Chris Luker…

The game room at the Cottages of College Station near Texas A&M with pool and ping pong tables.
Chris Luker…

A yoga studio at the Cottages of College Station near Texas A&M.
Chris Luker…

"Most of these kids are going to have a step down in lifestyle when they have to enter the working-world environment after they graduate," says John E. Vawter, principal of Capstone Collegiate Communities, which developed the Cottages.
Chris Luker…

Residents of the University House have access to a resort-style pool in a central courtyard. The five-story, 416-unit and 995-bedroom, upscale student apartment building opened this year near the University of Central Florida.
Dania Maxwell for The Wall Street Journal…

A sand volleyball game in a courtyard at the University House, whose residents include students at the University of Central Florida.
Dania Maxwell for The Wall Street Journal…

The tanning booth for students living at the University House.
Dania Maxwell for The Wall Street Journal…

Residents at the University House have access to a club room with computer stations with Internet and free printing. Nearby is a big-screen TV, foosball table and a pool table.
Dania Maxwell for The Wall Street Journal…

Nicole Ibinarriaga, a junior, in the kitchen of the three-bedroom furnished unit at the University House she shares with two other women. Her share of the rent is $690 a month.
Dania Maxwell for The Wall Street Journal…

A fire pit at the Grove at Auburn near Auburn University in Alabama.
Campus Crest Communities…

Shown here is the club house at the Grove at Valdosta near Valdosta State University in Georgia.
Campus Crest Communities…

At the Lodges of East Lansing near Michigan State University, the pool is heated year-round, and there's an ice-skating rink just for students. During the week, a private shuttle bus takes students to class. On the weekends, they're driven to and from night-life hot spots.
Fabrizio Costantini for The Wall Street Journal…

A three-bedroom apartment at the Lodges of East Lansing.
Fabrizio Costantini for The Wall Street Journal…

The club house at the Lodges of East Lansing.
Fabrizio Costantini for The Wall Street Journal…

Sterling University Housing, North Campus in Tampa, Fla., near the University of South Florida.
Dinerstein Companies…